This is a gorgeous song by Scott Stapp, from his album, The Great Divide. Bought it yesterday, listened through it several times. However, I bought the album primarily for this song.

THE GREAT DIVIDE
I have run to the oceanThrough the HorizonChased the sunI’ve waited for the light to come,And at times I would give upYou haveWrapped your loving arms ‘round me,And with your love I’ll overcome.You haveLoved me when I was weak,You haveGiven unselfishly,Kept me from Falling…FallingEverywhere but my Knees!You set me free!To live my lifeYou became my reason to survive the great divideYou set me Free!I’ve been on Heaven’s doorstep,With the Door open,One foot insideI’ve cried out…God give me answers!Please hush child I’ll tell you whyYou haveLoved me when you were weak,You keptGiving unselfishly,Kept you fromFalling…FallingEverywhere but your Knees!You set me free!To live my lifeYou became my reason to survive the great divideYou set me free!Oh…our love is beautifulOh…oo…oh…Isn’t it beautiful?Times have changedBut you remainMy everythingOur Love is BeautifulStood by my sideHelped me surviveMy great DivideIsn’t this is beautiful.You set me free!To live my lifeYou became my reason to survive the great divideYou set me free!

I think I first heard this song a few months ago in a friends car, and it blew me away. It is an imcredible song... the lyrics seem to express a very honest spirituality, and exactly expresses many of my sentiments.

The total honesty of the Scripture never ceases to amaze me. It is as if God expects His children to beat on His chest. See Psalm 55:

1 Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help!
2 Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
3 My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me, hunting me down in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish. The terror of death overpowers me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me. I can't stop shaking.
6 Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!
7 I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.
Interlude 8 How quickly I would escape-- far away from this wild storm of hatred.
9 Destroy them, Lord, and confuse their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
11 Murder and robbery are everywhere there; threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me-- I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me-- I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you--my equal, my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.
15 Let death seize my enemies by surprise; let the grave[a] swallow them alive, for evil makes its home within them.
16 But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night I plead aloud in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice.
18 He rescues me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, even though many still oppose me.
19 God, who is king forever, will hear me and will humble them.
Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways; they do not fear God.
20 As for this friend of mine, he betrayed me; he broke his promises.
21 His words are as smooth as cream, but in his heart is war. His words are as soothing as lotion, but underneath are daggers!
22 Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
23 But you, O God, will send the wicked down to the pit of destruction. Murderers and liars will die young, but I am trusting you to save me.

That's the honesty that we should all bring before the Father. God is not waiting to condemn us. Rather, He waits with His arms wide open to heal us, to draw us to Himself. It is a matter of our acceptance of His unconditional love.

Christ speaks

Can you be brave enough, my other self, to wipe my bloody face?

Where is my face, you ask?

At home whenever eyes fill up with tears,
at work when tensions rise,
on playgrounds,
in the slums,
the courts, the hospitals, the jails--
wherever suffering exists--
my face is there.
And there I look for you
to wipe away my blood and tears.

I reply

Lord, what you ask is hard.
It calls for courage and self-sacrifice,
and I am weak.
Please, give me strength.
Don't let me run away because of fear.

Lord, live in me
and act in me
and love in me.
And not in me alone- in all of us-
so that we may reveal
no more your bloody but glorious
face on earth.

Just tested the kids for jujitsu, there were about 18 people testing total. We divided up the marking, so we each graded about six tests each. It was a long haul, but it is nice to see the kids moving up the ranks and improving at what they do. We are giving them their new belts on Saturday, so that will be a happy day for them. I am possibly going for a shodan in Iaido in spring, so I will hopefully be spending a lot of time getting ready for that. I have always found sword training to be a very calming exercise, and have usually come away soothed. I will probably need a new sword for testing... mine is much to short. It is a gorgeous sword, I found it at http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/cat_iaito_nyumon.htm, if you want to buy your own.